Macro word 2013 vs 2010

The default names that Office uses for shapes are prone to being changed without warning, as you have discovered. The way around this is to name the shapes yourself. The names you assign will not be changed by Word, and it's a chance to give them more meaningful names for your programming code.

Here are 2 utility macros I use to set and get the names of shapes including text boxes:

Sub SetShapeName()
    Dim ShapeName$
    On Error GoTo AbortNameShape
    If ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange.Count = 0 Then
        MsgBox "No Shapes Selected"
        Exit Sub
    End If
    ShapeName$ = ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange(1).Name
    ShapeName$ = InputBox$("Give this shape a name", "Shape Name", ShapeName$)
    If ShapeName$ <> "" Then
        ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange(1).Name = ShapeName$
    End If
    Exit Sub
AbortNameShape:
    MsgBox Err.Description
End Sub

Sub GetShapeName()
    Dim ShapeName$
    ShapeName$ = ActiveWindow.Selection.ShapeRange(1).Name
    MsgBox ShapeName$
End Sub

hi, thanks for the answer.

I don't get why from 2013 to 2010 object name change. But i have still a question. I need to give persistant name to object So the user who compile my template can use it.

I don't get how to use that set/get name macro.

Could you explain further.

Thank you so much

I don't know why Word changes the names either, but I've seen it happen more than once.

Copy the macros to your normal template. You can create keyboard shortcuts or QAT icons for them to access them more easily. I can tell you how to do that if you're unsure.

Then select a textbox. If you run the GetShapeName macro, it will display the current name as assigned by Word. If you run SetShapeName, it will display an Input Box to let you enter a new name for the text box.

Once you have assigned names that make sense, go back to your original macro and change the old text box names to the new ones. This time they won't change.

I've created a module in my project, paste there the macro.

I place my focus on a textbox and i run Getnames, but i get error when executing the macro.

Should I use this not in design mode right?

I tried it and it works for shapes like square and so on, but doesn't work for textbox or combobox

The code that John has given you is for naming a Shape TextBox, and it will not work for ActiveX controls.

To give a meaningful name to an ActiveX control, while in Design mode, click on the control and then on the Properties button in the Controls section of the Developer tab of the ribbon and enter the name in the Properties dialog that appears.

It certainly does make writing code easier if you give the controls meaningful names.

Thanks for your answer. I try to explain my problem better.

I assigned all my textbox and combobox names, while in design mode, clicking on my textbox and then in developer tab clicking on properties. Then in name, i give it a name. My name are all set by me that way.

The problem is that when i save my document with word 2013, and i open it with word 2010, I click on enable macros, but on Document open sub it fails. When i go check all my object i see that word, add to all my active x object name a "1".

I don't understand if it's a compatibility issue or im doing something wrong.

I get error "Can't exit design mode because control Mynamexxx cannot be created" When i check my document I see my activex control is now named Mynamexxx1. I see that word start to load activex from end of the document, because the first error I get is from last active X content.

Then macro simply stop loading.

If I go to object browser, under project thisdocument i see that all my object are doubled. I can see Mynamexxx and Mynamexxx1. It's like word create another object since the normal one already exist, it add 1 to the end. (but i can see just Mynamexxx1 object on the document)

Hope this explain my problem

EDIT: I did another try. Paste everything in a new document. Open with word 2010 is fine, save it with 2013 and open again with 2010, same error

I try to do a simple code:

Private Sub Document_Open()
    Me.template.List = Array("Select", "Offer1", "Offer2", "Offer3")
End Sub

I put a combo box in the document and call it template.

I open in 2010 and it works fine,

i open in 2013 and it works fine,

i save in 2013

i re open in 2010.

My combobox show the last saved values, but when i try to select other values is blank.

I'll send you the template tomorrow. But if you look at my last answer, i tried just to do a single combobox, and it doesn't work.

Thank you